common entrance english

Common Entrance English Private Tuition

7+, 8+, 11+, 13+ and Common Entrance English Examinations

Entrance to elite public and grammar schools is increasingly competitive. At LCC Learning we offer a range of support for students hoping to gain a place at the selective school of your choice. Our dedicated team of tutors and learning consultants will guide you through every stage of the admissions process, from deciding which school is best suited to your child’s needs and aspirations to achieving a winning result in the common entrance English examinations. We are able to offer advice and support on preparation for ISEB, CEM, and GL-Assessment examinations, as well as examinations devised by individual schools.

Common Entrance English Papers

All entrance examinations for selective schools will include written papers testing candidates on their English skills. The content of these common entrance English papers varies enormously, but they all test the same skill-sets in prospective students: reading ability, vocabulary, creative writing, spelling and grammar.  

The common entrance English papers will usually be divided between comprehension and composition tasks. For the comprehension tasks, candidates will be required to read a passage of fiction or non-fiction appropriate to their age range and to respond to questions about it. These questions will test candidates on their ability to retrieve information from the passage, to summarise parts of it, to explain the difficult vocabulary, and to make inferences about implied meanings within the text. Depending on the difficulty of the test and the age-range it is targeted at, candidates may also be asked to make evaluative judgements about the passage and to comment on the writer’s stylistic techniques. At 13+ level, candidates will usually be asked to read, interpret, and evaluate literary works, both poetry and prose.

For the composition tasks in common entrance English papers, candidates will be asked to create their own short piece of original writing, either fiction or non-fiction. Examiners will assess them on the range of their vocabulary, on the accuracy of their writing (including spelling, punctuation and grammar), and on the clarity and imagination with which they express themselves and articulate their ideas.

How Can We Help?

LCC Learning provides a structured, methodical and rigorous programme of education for students undertaking the school entrance examinations, one which nevertheless leaves space for the curiosity and creativity that are vital to success in these exams, especially the common entrance English papers. Our experienced tutors aim to deliver a fun and stimulating learning experience, through which students are encouraged to exercise creativity and insight in approaching both composition and comprehension tasks.

At LCC learning we believe that it is important to focus as much on how a student learns as on what he or she is learning. Given how stressful the lead up to the school entrance examinations can be, we aim to help students develop a resilient and confident attitude to learning.  We also offer advice to parents on how best to support their child in his or her studies. Our students are constantly assessed and we strive to ensure that parents are kept fully up-to-date on their progress.

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